Is it possible to get Hi-end sound ??

Having a few pieces of legacy equipment was a great start for me. I'm so glad money is tight right now--I would have loved a new DAC, but my wife preferred a week and a half in Costa Rica--because my ignorance could easily take me down the rabbit hole.

Jorge, you've had some great responses. Get a budget, let the world open up. Be patient about the process. It's not really all about the sound, is it? Some people say, "Love the music, lust for equipment." I might change "lust" to "fetishize," but whatever. The point is, it seems like you're not sure how far you want to go--that is to say, I interpret the subtext of, say, "I want the best sound for the smallest outlay" as actually saying, "I'm eager but afraid and I need guidance." My two cents: spend enough money on it that you love your stuff enough to be a dork about it. Learn the equipment well enough to know what you like and don't like about it, and then proceed as resources allow. Same goes for wine and probably any other connoisseur-ish epicurean pursuit. If your experiment to grab some budget hi-fi doesn't cause the affliction of audiophilia, then you just saved yourself some money.

Don't generally listen to the 'deep pocket' guys. If I had that kind of $$$, I'd start marching gear thru my system looking for 'perfection'. And drive myself crazier than I already am!

Most people don't reach that point, but DO reach a very hi level of satisfaction.

Do start listening to stuff. Find out what you like. Depending on actual budget, you may end up with 'mid-fi' or even good pre-owned stuff. Try to find a dealer who covers used equipment. Some may be on consignment.

Make peace with your budget at least for now. The 'source first' crowd may have something to say about choices.

Having a few pieces of legacy equipment was a great start for me. I'm so glad money is tight right now--I would have loved a new DAC, but my wife preferred a week and a half in Costa Rica--because my ignorance could easily take me down the rabbit hole. I've identified several points where I would have expensively blundered

Jorge, you've had some great responses. Get a budget, let the world open up. Be patient about the process. It's not really all about the sound, is it? Some people say, "Love the music, lust for equipment." I might replace "lust" with "fetishize," but whatever. The point is, it seems like you're not sure how far you want to go--that is to say, I interpret the subtext of, say, "I want the best sound for the smallest outlay" as actually saying, "I'm eager and curious but afraid and I need guidance." My two cents: spend *just* enough money on a careful selection that you love it enough to be a dork about it. Learn the equipment and listen critically well enough to know what you like and don't like about what you have, and then proceed as resources allow. Same goes for wine and probably any other connoisseur-ish epicurean pursuit. If your experiment to grab some budget hi-fi doesn't cause the affliction of audiophilia, then you just saved yourself some money by only spending X for something your probably still like anyway.

please ignore double-post

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High end sound is the best stereo that you've ever heard. I had a Sansui 771 reciever, generic 12 inch three way speakers and a Technics turntable. With that system, no one could tell me that I wasn't a hi-fi baddass. It was high end as I knew it and I was happy. For 25 years it served me very well until I was introduced to this site. Then I found out that I didn't have high-end sound. I can never go back to a system like that once I was exposed to the equipment since I've joined this site. Amazingly, I would wager that Sansui receiver system is better than 90% of what is in American households today. It was certainly better than anything that I had ever seen in anyone else's home, even to this day. So, if you can pick up a pre-owned system for say $750.00 and you love the way it sounds, then that's high end sound. Stay with it and be content. It's kind of like getting married: She's beautiful, kind loving and a good person, but if you keep looking, you could probably find someone better. Once you find someone better, if you keep looking, you could probably find someone even better than her. The key is, once you find a good one, stay there and stop looking. When I bought my current AR preamp, I was sure that it was the Holy Grail. I could not and still cannot imagine a better preamp. Guess what, there have been two more models released by AR since I bought mine and all accounts tell me that the new models are head and shoulders above the model that I own. Well, I've got news for AR, I've stopped looking. I like the one I married and I'm staying home.